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Battle of Schiller
The Battle of Schiller was fought between [[HMAMC Wayfarer|HMAMC Wayfarer]], [[PNS Vaubon|PNS Vaubon]], and three privateer vessels from Andre Warnecke's navy. While coming to the aid of a Manticoran merchant freighter under attack by pirates in the Schiller System, Vaubon was herself captured when the freighter turned out to be Wayfarer. Prelude While searching for the companions of the pirates who had raped and slaughtered the crew of [[TCMS Erewhon|TCMS Erewhon]] and abused the crew of the Hauptman Lines freighter [[RMMS Bonaventure|RMMS Bonaventure]], [[PNS Vaubon|PNS Vaubon]] under the command of Commander Warner Caslet discovered three pirate vessels attacking a Manticoran merchant freighter in the Schiller System. While his orders were to destroy or capture Manticoran ships in the Silesian Confederacy, Caslet argued that there was nothing in his orders that prevented him from rescuing them from pirates before capturing them himself. Caslet also did not want to allow any of Andre Warnecke's ships to escape, as he hoped their capture may be able to provide him with the location of Warnecke's base of operations. ( ) Order of battle RMN [[HMAMC Wayfarer|HMAMC Wayfarer]]a ''Caravan''-class Q-ship under the command of Captain Honor Harrington PN [[PNS Vaubon|PNS Vaubon]]a ''Conqueror''-class light cruiser under the command of Commander Warner Caslet Chalice Privateer Squadron Commodore Arner's force: * a light cruiser, flagship, CO Commodore Jason Arner * two destroyers Course of battle Shedding her disguise of running with reduced wedge strength in order to appear to be a freighter, Vaubon accelerated toward the pirate ships, launching a drone to pretend that she had been hiding behind a freighter's wedge the entire time. Firing a double broadside of missiles that had been timed to launch sequentially but activate in one large salvo, Vaubon attacked the trailing destroyer, and heavily damaged her. Return fire from the light cruiser and remaining destroyer heavily damaged Vaubon, but she pressed on, taking on both ships at once, heavily damaging the cruiser, killing Commodore Arner and his entire bridge crew. Suddenly, the cruiser was turned into a hulk, and the remaining destroyer was obliterated as the freighter dropped its disguise and revealed itself to be a Manticoran Q-ship, firing its superdreadnought-sized grasers. At this point the Q-ship hailed Vaubon and revealed itself to be [[HMAMC Wayfarer|HMAMC Wayfarer]], and demanded the Havenites' surrender. ( ) Casualties Wayfarer suffered no casualties, as she had taken the raiders and Vaubon completely by surprise. All three pirate ships were either destroyed or turned into wrecks and then scuttled once their crew was captured. Vaubon suffered heavy damage, but was captured intact. ( ) Aftermath The captured PNS Vaubon was sent to Manticore with a prize crew, and the bridge crew were invited onboard Wayfarer as Harrington's "guests", to be sent to a POW camp when Task Group 1037's mission was complete. With the information gleamed from Vaubon's computers, and from testimony from the crew of [[RMMS Bonaventure|RMMS Bonaventure]], which Vaubon had rescued previously while capturing another of Warnecke's ships, Harrington decided it was time to deal with Andre Warnecke once and for all, and invited Commander Caslet to join her on the bridge for her assault on Warnecke's forces in the First Battle of Marsh. In order to cover for Commander Caslet, who she knew would likely get in trouble for coming to the aid of a Manticoran freighter instead of allowing its destruction, Captain Harrington claimed in her after-action report that she had been sailing under the guise of an Andermani freighter, which Caslet was under direct orders to assist in the event of pirate attacks. ( ) References Schiller, Battle of Schiller, Battle of